BayArea

Yet here we are with my beautiful state completely wide open. Have a good day and keep up the good work.

Keep in mind CA is the most populous state in the union ,40 million residents not counting the illegals, thats more people than Canada or Australia. So I say we're doing a very good job getting our residents vaccinated compared to the rest of the nation especially when compared to the North east states with lesser populations. Fyi, California is not even in the Top 10 list of states with the highest deaths per 100,000 people. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/

Traditional Thai cuisine is quite healthy and largely based on vegetables, lean proteins, and fresh herbs and spices. But Certain Thai dishes are high in refined carbs and may contain deep-fried foods, added sugar, or high amounts of salt.

The rising cases are mainly in the northeast of the country. I'm in California, specifically the Bay Area and our covid situation is stable and some areas the cases have dropped significantly. 90% or more in our region our fully vaccinated and almost 70% are triple vaccinated ( 18 y.o. and up). Most Americans regardless of political views are tired and exhausted from 2 years plus of covid restrictions and masks mandate. Like most of the world we want to move on from this pandemic and get back to doing what we loved. California last month lifted all mask mandate except for medical facilities, prisons and law enforcement buildings. Schools no longer required masks and soon all public transportation and including planes ( domestic and international) will lift masks mandate as well. Spring is here, the weather is beautiful. Life is good.

Dictators don't follow the science

Khao San Road looked like pre covid last night from the YouTube videos I watched. It was jammed packed with lots of young westerners in the fray.

The article means 1 million Thais returning home for Songkran ????

I agree BKK has some of the most stunning women in the world. But I disagree with your take on Tehran, it is filled with beautiful Persian women, absolutely beauties. And if you're going to mentioned big Southeast Asian cities don't leave out Sai Gon and Manila.

with all these negative news lately on the consequences of Songkran, why are these clowns even entertaining the idea of allowing it at all??? seems to me they want the spikes to surge and turn around and tell the mass, " We told you so! "

Vung Tau, the seaside resort an hour from Sai Gon was packed with beachgoers this past weekend. Looked awesome and fun! No masks, back to normal.

Be careful, Thai apologists won't like your response. ????

Anutin went big on the shirts! Chatuchak Market must have given him a special price.

I never posts on these threads regarding the daily cases, but I have to this time. The positive cases are always or around the 20k mark. Its truly impressive!!

Agree 100%. And just to add regarding their great customer image, before covid, LOS was the weekend playground for Japanese men. A 4 hour non stop flight to BKK from Tokyo for hedonism and pure debauchery. The girls loved and preferred them over most customers because of their reputation as big spenders and great tippers. Soi Cowboy and Walking Street was their stomping ground.

If you considered head above water surviving then yes! ????

Viet Nam as of this past Wednesday dropped all restrictions. No quarantine, no insurance, and no arrival testing. You only need to test negative before entering the country, a required procedure for most airlines around the world. Thailand thinks they're doing us a favor by eliminating a process that is not accepted by international airlines. What Viet Nam just did is a big time game changer. We shall see how things play out.

UK has over 86k positive cases per day in the month of March and they are fully open without restrictions. Here are some excerpts from the article: " the health minister has said that the situation is under control and the hospitalization and deaths have been recorded low. " "As per the health ministry, this is due to the fact that the country has inoculated over 98% of its citizens and it is planning to vaccinate teenagers and children." Do you think Thailand can even achieve this goal ? Mind you , Thailand had a head start in vaccinating her people. Viet Nam didn't start mass vaccination until October 2021.

Meanwhile in Vietnam.. https://travelyourway.net/travel-news-03-2022-vietnam-scraps-all-quarantine-requirements-for-international-travellers/

The hoops and paperwork to come and stay in Thailand can be daunting. The expensive insurance and PCR test is a deterrent for tourists coming from other southeast Asian countries like Malaysia or Vietnam. in some cases, it is even more expensive than the air ticket pre-covid. The PCR test on arrival and the mandatory stay in a hotel, has nothing to do with controlling the spread of Covid-19, however, it does have a lot to do with extracting money from foreigners whether it be tourists, business people or returning foreign residents. Of course this infantile process needs to be eliminated for good. There is a better chance of contracting Covid just by a visiting a 7-11! Lastly, tourism will not rebound to any significant degree until Prayut assumes the responsibility to scrap all restrictions associated with tourism. Continuing to leave regulations up to the Thai version of the CDC will result in the demise a large portion of the tourist industry, regardless of Chinese covid policies or Putin's war of aggression.

Oil Firms Help Fuel EV Sector in Southeast Asia - ST - Asia Financial News "Vietnam have set their sights on becoming a production hub for electric vehicles and battery storage, the report said." Vietnam EV market heats up with local, international automakers (digitimes.com) "Vingroup, the parent company of VinFast, plans to make Vietnam a major manufacturing country for the auto industry and is looking to do so by breaking into the EV market." You seemed to be correct sir.

I have often said to my family and friends, Thai and Viet women are among the most attractive in the world. You can't go wrong with either one.

100% agree on the beauty of Viet women!

The cynic in me actually thinks this insecure government won't really fret over this time bomb. They will continued to use covid to maintain control and fear.

No worries, the gracious government is going to LOAN the poor 10, 000 baht to help out! When you're done paying off your debt, you're stil going to be in debt. ????

it seems this subject has triggered some poster's strong disdain for sausage or processed meat no matter how or where is made. hate to say it but everything you eat these days has some sort of chemicals and preservative. moderation is key.